A letter to Quint Kessenich: Stop the Hypocrisy


The other day, over at Inside Lacrosse, Quint Kessenich wrote a letter to Major League Lacrosse where he criticized unsportsmanlike behavior in the league and implored the MLL to clean up the game.

Normally, when we hear Quint’s voice it is like listening to the teacher on Charlie Brown – we just hear “wah wah, wah wah wah wah.” But this time we heard something else – hypocrisy.

MLL refs may let a lot go, but so do its broadcasters. Where is Quint’s criticism during the game? Let’s clean up the hypocrisy in the booth. Proof? Let’s just take the first quarter of the Bayhawks-Machine game that aired on May 5.

At the 2:34 mark in the first quarter of that game, Chazz Woodson scores diving goal, at which point he is put into a headlock on the ground by Chesapeake’s Brian Spallina. Quint’s reaction?

“…Watch Spallina. Land on him. Headlock. There’s a takedown. But no back points. Spallina’s up two-nothing except he’s gotta spend some time in the penalty box….”

“…He’s gotta get his hips, he’s gotta pull the arm more get the hips into it and turn him.”

So, instead of criticizing the behavior he bemoans in this column, he jokingly gives Spallina some advice on how to get a pin.

Don’t get us wrong, we are happy to see that Quint stopped his incessant criticism of the college game to complain about something else for five minutes, but it’s tough to take the criticism seriously when you joke about unsportsmanlike behavior yourself.

Want to watch the clip? Head over to ESPN3. The clip starts at the 27:50 mark.
Link: http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/source/espn3/id/457110/

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39 Comments

  1. […] MillerCategories: Maverik, MLL ShareBufferBeing deep in the social media world, I came across an article on LacrossePlayground.com that made me re-read what was said. Although the article seemed very […]

  2. Sactownlax on June 21, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    ESPN should get the guys from The Lacrosse Network. Those guys are great!

  3. cchs on June 21, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    does this dude eever stop complaining about things. all he does is complain. if he going to make the game worse than soccer

  4. Robert Ford on June 21, 2012 at 4:34 am

    Look I’m no fan of his commentary, it has gotten somewhat decent this year still not great, but I agree with the hypocrisy statement. And I agree with the guys saying that the BS commentary talking purely about how the bmore kids are the only ones with true talent and everyone else just seems to be a football player with sticks or a miracle from Canada. It’s crap the old boy system needs to go and I can’t wait for the sport to fully explode so that all the bland boring annoying old boy private school crap will go away finally.

  5. Handsome Bob on June 21, 2012 at 2:41 am

    Show us some more shitty ideas like adding fake hair to the back of helmets, or the latest in fold up sunglasses. But please don’t think you’re qualified to bitch about this guy. A few months ago you HYPOCRITES posted a pic of a d-bag lacrosse player choking out a guy with his stick and said “this is what lax is all about,” so save your bitching. LPG does NOTHING to improve the image of the game either. 

  6. Handsome Bob on June 21, 2012 at 2:41 am

    Show us some more shitty ideas like adding fake hair to the back of helmets, or the latest in fold up sunglasses. But please don’t think you’re qualified to bitch about this guy. A few months ago you HYPOCRITES posted a pic of a d-bag lacrosse player choking out a guy with his stick and said “this is what lax is all about,” so save your bitching. LPG does NOTHING to improve the image of the game either. 

  7. Dan Gable on June 21, 2012 at 2:25 am

    Quint was an excellent HS wrestler.

  8. Dan Gable on June 21, 2012 at 2:25 am

    Quint was an excellent HS wrestler.

  9. Anonymous on June 21, 2012 at 2:14 am

    Whose writing these articles? You sound like a whiny 13 year old girl.

  10. Anonymous on June 21, 2012 at 2:14 am

    Whose writing these articles? You sound like a whiny 13 year old girl.

  11. thisarticleblows on June 20, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    Quint is right and this is a dumb article.

  12. thisarticleblows on June 20, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    Quint is right and this is a dumb article.

  13. Out of place article on June 20, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    Stick to posting gear and apparel Lax Playground. This article is a waste of time.

  14. Out of place article on June 20, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    Stick to posting gear and apparel Lax Playground. This article is a waste of time.

    • Dick on June 21, 2012 at 2:23 am

      You guys are pathetic.

    • Dick on June 21, 2012 at 2:23 am

      You guys are pathetic.

    • Anonymous on June 21, 2012 at 9:40 pm

      even though the gear they post is on average a year old

    • Anonymous on June 21, 2012 at 9:40 pm

      even though the gear they post is on average a year old

  15. Out of place article on June 20, 2012 at 7:51 pm

    Stick to posting gear and apparel Lax Playground. This article is a waste of time.

  16. #hypocrisy? on June 20, 2012 at 6:08 pm

    Hypocrisy is this article about “taking criticism seriously” coming from a website that posts jerseys like “too much dangle, for your girlfriend handle” and articles about Kate Upton’s tits… right.

  17. #hypocrisy? on June 20, 2012 at 6:08 pm

    Hypocrisy is this article about “taking criticism seriously” coming from a website that posts jerseys like “too much dangle, for your girlfriend handle” and articles about Kate Upton’s tits… right.

  18. GetaCLUE on June 20, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    Ridiculous.  This post is becoming a joke.  Of all people, Quint has been the most vocal about improving the sport. Even if you disagree with his stance, you have to applaud his approach and love for this game. 
    I used to check in here everyday, but now I come to this site less and less as it continues to go down hill, and this is yet another example fo the garbage here.

  19. GetaCLUE on June 20, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    Ridiculous.  This post is becoming a joke.  Of all people, Quint has been the most vocal about improving the sport. Even if you disagree with his stance, you have to applaud his approach and love for this game. 
    I used to check in here everyday, but now I come to this site less and less as it continues to go down hill, and this is yet another example fo the garbage here.

  20. Alex Tanzilli on June 20, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    IT’S A HOWITZER. LACROSSE IS BASICALLY BASKETBALL. HOWITZER HOWITZER HOWITZER.

    – Quint Kessenich

  21. Anonymous on June 20, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    I’m not going to jump on the “Fuck Quint” bandwagon like most people. Usually when he sees something blatant, he points it out. I think Quint calls things pretty clearly. Now, whether you like his commentary or not is a different story. 

  22. Anonymous on June 20, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    I’m not going to jump on the “Fuck Quint” bandwagon like most people. Usually when he sees something blatant, he points it out. I think Quint calls things pretty clearly. Now, whether you like his commentary or not is a different story. 

  23. Matt Hendrickson on June 20, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    Lacrosse has gotten worse and worse since 2009.  Who the **** is coming up with all of these rule changes? Stall warnings in the first quarter? and can somebody explain to me what a “loose ball push is?”  From the rule changes, Stick Modifications, and all these gay shorts, I hate the direction the sport is in.  It used to be if you saw the kid with cool floral print shorts you knew he was a baller because he played on a decent travel team.  Now I can walk to laxworld and drop $40 on a pair of shorts with monkeys on them?  … I am not going to even start on kids who have no fundamentals anymore, and yes I realize the game has changed but fundamentals are still necessary.  Oh and Quint kessenich is annoying.  I usually mute my tv and put on music.  Brooker Corrigan should be the only one allowed to announce any lax game, and if you don’t know who he is either look him up or stop playing lacrosse.

    • Eddie Rice on June 20, 2012 at 4:37 pm

      I agree 100%. The direction the game is heading is devastating. Flow Society and the rest of these “Lacrosse Brands” are representing the game as a joke. But obviously, stores like LaxWorld make a killing on these shorts because people new to the game dont understand that it is ruining it. Id love to see the game back to where it was in 2007-2009. Im all for growth of the sport, but the methods being used to expand arent helping the game. Kids shouldnt want to start playing lacrosse because they want the crazy overdone shorts. But thats what its coming down too. Clean up the game and the lifestyle.

  24. Matt Hendrickson on June 20, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    Lacrosse has gotten worse and worse since 2009.  Who the **** is coming up with all of these rule changes? Stall warnings in the first quarter? and can somebody explain to me what a “loose ball push is?”  From the rule changes, Stick Modifications, and all these gay shorts, I hate the direction the sport is in.  It used to be if you saw the kid with cool floral print shorts you knew he was a baller because he played on a decent travel team.  Now I can walk to laxworld and drop $40 on a pair of shorts with monkeys on them?  … I am not going to even start on kids who have no fundamentals anymore, and yes I realize the game has changed but fundamentals are still necessary.  Oh and Quint kessenich is annoying.  I usually mute my tv and put on music.  Brooker Corrigan should be the only one allowed to announce any lax game, and if you don’t know who he is either look him up or stop playing lacrosse.

  25. Kissultra on June 20, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Douche is a perfect word to describe alot of the guys that have risen to the top of the lacrosse world through selfish , cocky , money grabbing, dishonest , hypocritical behavior. Some of the games I watch on TV these days, I have to turn the sound off because listening to a couple of the commentators is like nails on a blackboard! Lacrosse has been a “good-ole-boys-club” where the epicenter is a Baltimore back room filled with phony, back-stabbing  drunks/_______ Although Lacrosse has come a long way, it still has plenty of room for improvement in its image and this all starts with the commentating . Paul Carcaterra being hands down the best in the sport. Quint should stick to Go-Karts with Kristie Lee on late night espn 6.

  26. Needrealarticles on June 20, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    This article is stupid and worthless

    • Needrealcommenters on June 20, 2012 at 4:33 pm

      You are stupid and worthless. 

      P.S. – Great contribution

  27. Mark M. on June 20, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    Chris, I think you are right about commentators that are overly critical are a turnoff. But that’s part of my problem with quint. You sit and watch a college game and he trashes college lax all the time, but is a huge cheerleader for the MLL. Meanwhile, the college game is 100 times better than the MLL.

    Quint will rip into college players for unsportsmanlike conduct, but never does the same for MLL during games.

    Granted, he’s a douche for a million other reasons, too.

    • Chris Bossert on June 20, 2012 at 2:54 pm

      I think the only logical solution is to get Quint away from College Lax.  I agree, he really does not do college lacrosse any justice by talking down the players and talking up their mistakes.  He’s also always such a Hopkins/Duke fan boy.  Really needs to check his loyalties/favorites at the door when approaching broadcasting.  

  28. Chris Bossert on June 20, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Not a fan of Quint’s commentary or opinion on the game, but you got to come up with a better example then his halfhearted joke about Chazz and 
    Spallina in a wrestling match.  Commentators are inherently taught to try and give the audience an overall positive mood about the game they are watching.  Being over critical of a player/league/ref or situation during a game is typically a turnoff for most audiences which really defeats the overall purpose of televising the game.  I mean look at Van Gundy during the NBA Finals, how many times do you think the little man in his ear is telling him to shut up and keep it light. 
    That being said I reiterate that I do not like Quint’s opinion on the game, and really I believe lacrosse is a hard sport with a lot of physical play, and as long as the refs get better at calling fouls and there is no MLL version of the Saints Bounty system, then stop complaining and leave it alone.

  29. Gregthetank89 on June 20, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    Quint needs to give it up.

  30. Gregthetank89 on June 20, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    Quint needs to give it up.

  31. Laxer on June 20, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    So sick of Quint. We need new blood!

  32. Laxer on June 20, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    So sick of Quint. We need new blood!

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